Rendering of the proposed building at 231 East 94th Street. Image Credit: NYC CPC.
On March 19, 2024, the City Council voted to approve multiple land use applications in Yorkville, Manhattan, and Brownsville and Williamsburg in Brooklyn.
The East 94th Street Rezoning will facilitate a 40-story mixed-use building located at 231 East 94th Street in Yorkville, Manhattan. The building will have over 480 units, including 146 affordable units. The project would also feature ground-floor retail and community uses. Previously, many community members had voiced opposition to the project due to the site’s mid-block location and large scale. The Council modified the application to only use Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Option 2, which will require that 30 percent of the building’s units average at 80 percent area median income.
The Brownsville Arts Center and Apartments Project, located at 376 Rockaway Avenue, will have 290 permanently affordable units. Forty-five units will be set aside for formerly homeless individuals. The nine-story building will also have 25,000 square feet of ground-floor arts and cultural community space and outdoor space.
The Jennings Hall Expansion will facilitate a new 14-story mixed-use building at 819 Grand Street in Williamsburg. The project was proposed by St. Nicks Alliance and will be the third wing of the Jennings Hall complex, which has 150 existing units for seniors. The building will have 218 affordable independent residences for seniors (AIRS). The inclusion of AIRS in a project will yield an increased zoning allowance to provide accessible and affordable housing for seniors. The Council modified this application to remove Mandatory Inclusionary Housing Option 2 and only keep Option 1 (25 percent of units average at 60 percent area median income) or the Deep Affordability Option (20 percent of the units average at 40 percent area median income).
Combined, the three projects will bring nearly 1,000 new units of housing, including over 400 affordable units and 200 affordable units for seniors.
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the Editor of CityLand and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)